United Kingdom (Rise of the Moderns)
The United Kingdom have the Power of Empire. Game Info National bonuses *Commerce research 33% cheaper *Start with a Market and 4 free Merchants *For every 100 of a resource in your treasury beyond starting level, receive +5 income for that resource. This income can exceed your Commerce Cap by 100. *Receive two Light Ships whenever a New Dock is built. Unique units *Lobsters 1 => Scots Greys 2 => Royal Scots Greys 3 (as good as French cavalry but with a high pricetag) *Victoria 2-3 *Longbowmen 1 => Rangers 2 => Green Jackets 3 (skirmishers, upgrades to line infantry. The Longbowan has an enhanced rate of fire but is costly, while Highlanders are so tough they can make for line infantry. The ultimate upgrade, the Green Jackets are on par with Native Americans, with the ability to move stealthed and with no min range, but are costly. These units lose their abilities upon 4 however) *Regimental Redcoats 2 => Wellington's Redcoats 3 => Colonial Rifles 4 => Old Contemptibles 5 (line infantry, dressed in the traditional red garb, with good damage and armour, and like the longbow, with a withering rate of fire that causes lesser mortals to melt...but a compensatory pricetag) *Foot Guards 2 => Grenadier Guards 3 => Royal Marines 4 (a vastly superior grenadier with a higher pricetag. Grenadiers are as good as the Royal Musketeers, although by 3 the line infantry line will lose minimum range) Unique buildings *Academy - trains your elite units *Church - performs taxation and religion research, and is the main stopping point for your auxiliary units. *Military-industrial complex (requires 6 levels of Military research; available from 4) **Units heal within your borders **Reduces the build time of ships, foundry units and aircraft **Has a +10 oil and +10 metal bonus (once 3rd Green researched). **Reduces the knowledge costs of science research and the research time for military research. **Grants access to upgrades that allow for the creation of dreadnoughts, howitzers and heavy machine guns in 5. **Has a facility for building recoilless gun infantry and tanks (different non-European sides build different tanks in 5 - Tanks are powerful mechanised units that destroy all other units, but have their own weaknesses - recoilless guns destroy them; they are vulnerable from aircraft attack; a direct hit from a cannon could potentially destroy them; and they are slower than tankettes, although they are much powerful in a shot-for-shot battle.) Spoiler When it comes to the military, the United Kingdom is all about ships. Not only do you get faster and cheaper ship upgrades, you also spawn light ships from your docks each time you build a new dock. Coupled with the formidable giant warship, the Victoria class, and you have a most powerful navy capable of anything. On land, the British have some of the finest infantry in all Europe. Yet, while British unique units are some of the most powerful, with high rates of fire, range, and armour, they however have the highest pricetags for all land units. Great Britain historically had small armies - manpower was in serious short supply! - but whatever units they had always were exceedingly efficient at whatever they did. So a player on Rise of the Moderns will be forced to build ships. This is not a problem since being based off the vanilla Dutch they have access to cheaper ships and can also spam the light warships (frigates, cruisers, and such) and their access to resources from accumulation means that they can afford slightly more. The Victoria is a very powerful unit at sea, but doesn't upgrade that much so the British player will have leeway from the Colonial and Mercantile Eras. However, the lack of a better assault infantry unit in 5 when tanks and tankettes arrive mean that Britain is at a fair disadvantage from the Industrial Era onward. Thus, Great Britain best ought to seek a diplomatic solution to whatever problems come at hand - or use its more powerful economy to pay off foes and recruit allies with a more efficient army should this need arise. China, Prussia, Austria and France all make good allies with this regard. CtW Grand Campaign You start off with some ports in India, the Atlantic, the Middle East and the Far East. To the corners of the map lie Australia and also, there too is Africa. These areas are rich with rare resources that can generate income (note that like all Western factions, you receive tribute only from flagging rare resources on the map). Europe can generate income each time you invade its territories, but given the extremely volatile situation, you'd best be careful. The five territories that form up your home regions offer a variety of resources: Ireland supplies troops, while Scotland has reserves of wool, and Wales has deposits of coal, giving you a significant advantage over other European factions (coal may be found only in Spain, Germany and Poland). You also possess a sixth territory in Europe, which is Hannover. You must protect Hannover at all costs until Napoleon is defeated. Note also that you have three Transport Requisition cards, which allow you to move armies from 1 point of the map to another. Use these well if you are going to win the game. Allies to support your rule are few and far between. In the beginning, you will be at war with both Sweden and France, and Napoleon will immediately launch the battle of Waterloo, which means that you will be hard-pressed for time. Your initial allies will be, Prussia, Austria, Russia, the League of Nations, Portugal, Spain, and the Indian Empire. Dangerously, France is allied to the Ottomans. It will not be an easy fight. Winning this war will ensure some peace between the Western powers, but if Napoleon takes Hannover, the League of Nations, along with many other nations, will ally with Napoleon, starting a new war, while rebellions will occur in Poland and Italy. Annexing France is out of the question: if France is occupied, the League of Nations, Austria, and Spain will make conflicting claims against you. Denying each and every one of these claims will result in war - it would be better to establish a protectorate, by demanding an alliance from it. The USA will be reluctant to deal with anybody from Europe, and can be expected to start sending its troops into anywhere which is rebel territory. You can, however, count on them allying with you if you break your alliance with Russia, or an Asian power achieves a territorial strength equal to 50% of the USA's own territorial strength. There is a difference however - during the Civil War, you will be asked whether to side with the Rebels or with the Union. Siding with the Rebels renders the southern USA as rebel areas (with the CSA as based on the USA), but will prevent any deals between you and the USA until you are clear out of North American territory. There are four areas that you should pay attention to: Malta, Gibraltar, Egypt, Aqaba, Aden and India. Once you are able to annex these areas, they will experience a +2 increase in their territorial strength. Starting territories and diplomatic stances Starting diplomacy *Alliances: Portugal, League of Nations, Spain, Russia *War with: France, Sweden, USA Starting territory: *Northern Europe: Central England (capital); Ireland; Scotland; Wales; English Channel *Western Europe: Hannover *Mediterranean: Gibraltar; Malta *Southern Africa: Cape Town *North America: Quebec; Winnipeg; Ontario *Central America and Caribbean: Bermuda; Jamaica; Belize *Southern Asia: Ceylon; Bengal; Tamil Nadu *Pacific: Victoria Initial bonuses: 3 Transport Requisition Strategic Objectives: *Maintain control over your holdings over your five core territories in the British Isles *Conquer any 3 continental regions, either by occupation or annexation *Gather 2,000 tribute History The history of the modern British Empire, later known as the United Kingdom - comprising the kingdoms of England, Wales and Scotland and territory in Ireland - was a tale of trade, conquest, and industry in which the English state changed from a weak and humiliated nation on the outskirts of Europe into not only a European but also a global superpower. Her mastery of the seas, confirmed once and for all at Trafalgar in 1805, made up for an army which was somewhat small by European standards, and meant that England could expand far beyond the borders of Europe, to places as far away as the Caribbean, India and Australia. Call to Power The period between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries saw a great change in the status of England. From the nation on the edge of Europe, busy recovering from the civil war which had seen the extinction of two ruling houses, to the wealthiest nation on earth, truly a power to be reckoned with. The path the nation took was, however, a rocky one, with several dynastic changes. The ruling houses in England were the Tudors and the Stuarts. During the time of the Stuarts, England had flirted with a republican government between 1649 and 1660, which was deposed in favour of a monarchy. When the last Stuart ruler, Anne, died in 1714, and the Stuart line ran out of suitable (that is, Protestant) male heirs, the English looked towards Germany and modern England would have two "imported dynasties" - the Hannoverians, and later on, the Saxe-Coburg-Gothas, later known as the House of Windsor. English monarchs faced many challenges from the time of the Tudors. One of these was religion, which intermingled with politics with disastrous results. This happened because of the nature of the English Reformation in the 1530s — the issue at the heart of the matter was that Henry VIII Tudor wanted a divorce, and the Pope wouldn't give him one. As a result, the Pope was removed as head of the Church of England, and replaced by Henry himself. Only later did religion actually come into play, as increasing numbers of people sought to worship outside a church that reeked of "Popery". Charles I lost his head in 1649 because he refused to do away with some of the 'Papist' practices within the church, and his son James II would be ingloriously hounded out of the country in 1688 into exile in France by people who feared his Catholicism. The other important feature of English political life was the rise of Parliament. A relatively insignificant part of government in 1492, it became crucially important as a result of the Reformation, which was legitimised by being brought in via Parliament. Thereafter Parliament, especially the House of Commons, would be a consistent thorn in the sides of English monarchs (especially the Stuarts). It even took up arms against one monarch (Charles I again), because it feared that it was about to be bypassed and rendered permanently powerless. By 1792, the process by which Parliament became de facto rulers of the country was well underway. Queen of the Waves One would have been forgiven to think that at the onset of the 18th century, that England was doomed forever to be a minor power beset by political troubles, but in fact the creation of a parliament as well as the limitation of power would most benefit England in later centuries. This drive towards limiting the sovereign power of the monarch would be most vital in creating a vibrant economy and an industrialised society. Coupled with the Royal Navy, which could protect English interests, this led towards the modernisation of the English economy. Beginning with the American colonies, the English (subsequently known as the British) would then reach out towards India and the Spice Islands. Early industrialisation and a powerful trade empire created tremendous wealth in the country, which was often diverted into the pockets of European allies, who would fight as England's proxy (as would happen, with varying degrees of success, during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars between 1792 and 1814). The British Empire reached its zenith under Queen Victoria (1837-1901), who ushered in the Victorian dynasty. The two other prominent figures of this period were Gladstone and Disraeli who both served as Prime Ministers during Victoria's reign. Gladstone was a liberal and a humanitarian while Disraeli was an imperialist and nationalistic. These two opposing figures fought on opposite sides of the issues but it was Disraeli and his policies that got the Queen's favour. India was at this time administered by the East India Company, but after a mutiny of Indian troops (in fact a mass rebellion), the country became fully under control of the British government, with the monarch as its Emperor. A trade dispute with China would also result in the Opium War, which saw Britain, make further colonial gains in Asia. In Africa, Rhodes was carrying out ambitions to see British influence stretch from the North in Egypt all the way to South Africa. Including her colonies in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, British influence was felt literally around the world. Although by the end of the 19th century all three would gain its independence they would remain staunch allies of Britain and part of the Commonwealth. However, Ireland was again trying to reassert its independence and resorted to terrorism in order to make its point, the fruits of which are still a problem to this day. Great writers such as Charles Dickens and Alfred Tennyson as well as musicians such as Edward Elgar echoed the social sentiments and romanticism of the Victorian era. Despite the seemingly apparent success of Britain's empire, storm clouds were brewing in Europe, as British success engendered European jealousies. Britain had to contend with French and American influence in the Pacific, and also had to engage with Russia in what was to be known as the Great Game - a scramble for more power in Central Asia to protect her interests therein. Yet however, the greatest threat to the British Empire would be neither one of these countries, but one of its staunchest allies: Prussia. The Great War and its aftermath Formerly, Prussia had been an ally of Britain since the Westminster Convention of 1758, and even faced down Napoleon together, yet by the mid-19th century, things were coming to a head. Through conquest and diplomacy with the guidance of its gifted chancellor Otto von Bismarck, and several wars with Denmark, Austria and France, Prussia would unify the German petty kingdoms and principalities into a single Empire in 1871 with its king as its emperor or Kaiser. Bismarck, however, rationally saw that Germany was in no position to challenge the United Kingdom, and did all he could to keep Germany out of a war; yet in 1890 he was forced to resign, and the more hawkish elements, encouraged by Germany's glory-seeking Kaiser Wilhelm II, steered Germany towards conquest. Ultimately, the Great War broke out in 1914, and Germany and Britain went to war with one another, Germany being allied with the central powers of Austria-Hungary and Turkey, and Britain on the side of the so-called "Triple Entente" comprising Russia and France as well. Although Germany was defeated, the war was a bloody one that cost Britain well under a million lives and also ushered in the crises of the 20th century that would lead to the dissolution of Britain's empire. Category:Factions Category:Grand Campaign factions Category:East Indies Campaign factions